I used to think that being stoic in the face of pain was this wonderful, admirable trait. At the age of just under 49 it is not a trait, it is a myth like those you read in college English that the Greco Romans created. You remember it but you certainly don't believe it.
The hammertoe surgery has been sheer hell. First it was way more painful than advertised, the first 48 hours after the general anesthesia wore out it felt as though my foot were in a lawn mower with a blow torch on it. Oh yeah man they give you good drugs, bah ha hah, percosets taken as often as possible didn't touch this pain. You might as well eat M&M candies at least you would enjoy those. Then it became infected (probably because it is standard to wrap it and not look at it for a week) , then the two antibiotics I was on didn't match the culture ( Augmentin and Bactrim do not touch pseudomonas a.) So there I was and there I've been. Doc originally told me Dec 29th for the pins to come out, that has moved to Jan 4th . F U C * it all. Killed my trip to NM dead in the water. So I go through THREE FREAKING HOLIDAYS with this AIRCAST on (low profile my @$$, it is over 2 inches tall so even with a super high rocker sneaker on my right foot I have limped like Quasimodo and everything in my back, hip, knee and ankle are out of line) and steel rods in my toes. The difference between my surgery and this photo is that mine was on the left foot, got infected and also had incisions across the base of my toes ( which is what got infected) due to how crooked those joints were. So I have had to do Thanksgiving including Black Friday shopping, Christmas and now New Years with this freakshow of a shoe and pins on my foot. At least now the 4 weeks of Cipro antibiotic (which by the way is like eating a gut grenade in terms of projectile body fluids) have apparently killed the pseudomonas which was attempting to assimilate my foot.
Also during that time I have flown to FL for the region 7 regional (a fine one it was! and I lived through the extra attention from the TSA folk at both airports fine), attended 4 days of lure coursing in Calhoun, GA and am going to 4 more days of it. Archie will be driving down Thursday night so at least I'll have help on Friday and Saturday with Tory, Vger and RT ( who certified at the last trials). God help me the first two days though.
Had a great Christmas though spent time with my son, his wife, her family, Archie and some of his friends. Got some great clothes, earrings and necklaces for Christmas! Finally bought myself an elliptical machine since it will be God knows when before I can put serious miles on this foot that still has a wound on top of it and no skin over it. The Nordic Track monster is now in the den in front of the TV awaiting my pin removal after much work by Archie putting it together.
It is rather funny when I first went to the doctor/surgeons office after surgery I said I bet I am one of your worst patients, oh no they reassured me certainly not, well after it took 3 visits to remove the stitches, with me going OH MY GOD THAT HURTS, gritting my teeth, holding my leg and occasionally whacking the wall with my palm, they no longer reassure me when I say that at my visits. They just look at me and say I hope you took some pain pills before you came in.
On the dog front news: My old dog Neechee who will be 12 in February is still alive and well, puttering about, sniffing girls and telling the youngsters off. I certified two youngsters at the last trial, and may have some others in the spring too. Keelo who turned 9 on Dec 10 sired a litter of 4 pups in August. So far thank goodness all the DM tests from my dogs have been clear, but I still have at least 3 to do here (Genie, Cholla and Tory). I do not understand why these folks who do have carriers turn up don't test the parents. It is not about finger pointing, it is about letting people know so they will test offspring or littermates of the carrier parent which is not going to happen without the tests.
So a lot to be thankful for even with the surgery(I am keeping the foot thank God), Archie and I still enjoy each others company, my old man Neechee is still with us, 3 dogs of mine finished their AKC conformation championships this year, two of them dual champions! making their mother eligible for the BCOA register of merit ( when I get the paperwork together), had another dog finish his ASFA FCH , his brother got both his conformation majors this year, and it was in pretty limited showing or coursing. My father dying in March kind of took the wind out of my sails for a while but life has to go on.
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